


Christmas with Hannibal

by Countlecterviii



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Fully Bellies and tipsy, Lithuanian Traditions, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-25
Updated: 2013-12-25
Packaged: 2018-01-06 00:33:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,958
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1100366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Countlecterviii/pseuds/Countlecterviii
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Started as something to explore Lithuanian Christmas Traditions with Hannibal but turned into Hannigram.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Christmas with Hannibal

Hannibal began as he always did, on the morning of the 24th of December by cleaning the house from top to bottom, he hummed to himself as he carefully replaced bedding in every room in his house, leaving the master bedroom for last. He rolled up the sleeves of his shirt to clean his bathrooms and the kitchen, laying out dishes and utensils ready for cooking.

He then moved to the dining room, setting out craft mats and knives. He carefully cut some pine branches from the garden before bringing them inside to sculpt and lay along the table, he carved intricate designs into the branches and cut grooves to lock them together into sculptures that were raised from the table. He added vases and candle sticks and wound ivy and holly up. He got paper straws from a small bag and cut and pushed them into star shapes before dotting them around on the table. He then sat down to concentrate on the larger more intricate straw models, creating a string quartet of instruments from the paper. He placed them over the fireplace gently with berries and smaller pine branches, he inhaled and let the smell sweep over him, the scented paper and pine merging.

There was a knock at the door as Hannibal was putting the leftovers from the organic material into the compost. He moved around the side of the house, removing his gardening gloves, he could smell Will before he saw him. "Will? Good afternoon." He said softly.

Will jumped and looked to the side. "Oh, Dr Lecter, erm, sorry if I disturbed you, I was seeing Alana, she - does christmas, so -" He looked to his car, there was a small bag of presents on the front passenger seat. "Anyway, you were close so I wanted to, pop round." He looked down, licked his bottom lip.

Hannibal nodded, "perfectly fine, please, come round the back." He said, he turned as Will followed. "I don't do many more, commercial, aspects of christmas, just some choice additions to my home and dinner table. Do you celebrate it at all?"

Will stepped inside the house after Hannibal, he orientated himself as he'd only been there a few times. "I used to visit my dad, but I just don't get enough time off to make it worth it, I'd be travelling more than I'd be with my father, I call him, send him presents. I bring a tree inside, make decorations if I can find some berries or leaves. Nothing, flashy." Will looked at Hannibals fireplace. "I see you do much the same?"

Hannibal nodded, "I have a tree coming in an hour or so. I decorate it naturally, and with candles."

Will stayed stood, "I imagine you could get quite a large tree in here."

"7 or 8 foot, I don't have the time to decorate anything larger." He laughed softly.

Will gave him a slightly hollow laugh. He moved to the fire place to warm his hands. "You made those?" He said pointing to the small straw scupltures.

"Yes, I make new ones every year, it's very theraputic, to handle something so frail and turn it into a stronger sculpture."

"Like you do with minds." Will said absently.

"In some small sense. Perhaps. I find my work rewarding too."

Will nodded and held his arms across his chest. "I don't want to say I don't enjoy the holidays."

"No, no one wants to say it." Hannibal said gently.

"Just reminds me of what I can't have," he paused, "are you expecting family?"

"My only family member is in europe, hosting as he always does, I went a couple of years ago when I felt the need but haven't really felt it since."

Will nodded and paused, "who knows, maybe I'll enjoy it one year."

"Excuse me, I haven't offered you a drink, would you like some tea? I have a brew that is flavoured like christmas cake, seems appropriate." Hannibal said with a small smile.

"Yes please, or something stronger." Will said, gazing into the fire.

"something stronger? brandy?" Hannibal asked carefully.

"You can put it in the tea if it makes you feel better."

Hannibal looked Will over before going to the kitchen and making two teas, he added 2 fingers of brandy to Wills and half to his own before bringing them in on a small tray with some ginger cake. He handed Will a cup and saucer, "I do hope that is pleasant."

"I'm sure it'll do it's job," Will nodded in thanks and grinned awkwardly before drinking quietly.

"What is the job you intend for it to do?"

"Sweet and easy peace." Will said blankly.

"I do hope you don't make a habit of finding it in a bottle." Hannibal said with a small smile only to hide the sincereity enough to keep the conversation casual.

"I try not too, but I fear I have an addictive personality."

"You're addicted to your work?" Hannibal sat down in an arm chair and sipped his tea, felt it warm him.

"I can't tell if I would feel more or less like myself without it." Will said bleakly. 

Hannibal looked him over carefully, "I won't allow you to drive if you have another of those." He said to break the blissfully easy silence.

Will looked at him gently and nodded before sitting and looking back to the fire.

They sat there quietly for awhile before there was a knock at the door. Hannibal got up to answer it, two men carried a 7ft tall christmas tree into the living room carefully, setting it in a stand in the corner before Hannibal showed them out.

Hannibal came back with a tartan wrap which he put around the base of the tree to collect the needles. "I'm sorry, I need to get this done in the next couple of hours, you can stay if you'd like."

Will looked up at the tree, "I can help if you like, thats a lot of work."

"You could tie ribbon to the pinecones?"

Will nodded and moved to kneel at the coffee table to start work on them, the lengths of ribbon were already cut and placed next to the pinecones they were to be used for; the longest ones beside the largest pinecones. "Were you expecting someone who didn't know what they were doing? Or, to put it more simply, were you expecting me?"

"You know what you're doing Will, I was not expecting you, though I knew Alana was meeting with you today."

"Worried about me over the holidays?" Will glanced up at him but his gaze fell when it was not met.

"I'm always worried." Hannibal said as he secured candle holders and swathes of deep red material to the tree. 

"I suppose I can only take that as being a good thing, as someone actually is worried about me."

Hannibal concentrated on spreading the decorations perfectly, "Alana worries." He added quietly.

"Jack doesn't." Will said sharply.

Hannibal looked to him. "Jack has a job to do, but, unfortunately for him, as do I."

Will nodded as his hands moved to tie the ribbons. It reminded him of fly tying then considered that's why Hannibal had asked him to do it. He wrapped the ribbon and bowed it before gathering them and moving to stand beside Hannibal who turned to look at him, smiling slightly as he took a pinecone between his thumb and forefinger and moving to place it on the tree. "Thank you Will." He said softly.

Hannibal finished the tree and got a small ladder to light the candles carefully, he hummed softly to himself. "After this I begin preparing food, 6 courses for tomorrow."

"6? Wow." Will said, he knotted his eyebrows. "I don't normally do anything special."

"Nothing at all?"

"Perhaps, if in the weeks leading up to the holidays I have caught something special whilst I've been out fishing I would save it, but otherwise, no. Plus I haven't really had much fishing time recently."

Hannibal paused, lit the last candle. "I suppose, it's not desperately outside the box to ask, if you would like to join me tomorrow?"

Will was dipping the cake in the brandy tea but stopped, "not desperately, no." He said softly, "do you offer this to all your patients?" he laughed softly, looking into his lap.

"You aren't my patient." Hannibal said plainly, "we have conversations, across the space in my office, or across dinner."

"Christmas dinner." Will said, getting up, "there's a difference." 

"You said yourself you don't do anything particular." Hannibal climbed down from the small ladder and looked him over unintrusively.

"Yes, and you do, you cook a six course meal, I can't ask that you extend that to me as well." Will exclaimed, he brought his arms in close over his midrift.

"Rather than extending it no further than myself?" Hannibal asked carefully.

Wills gaze fell, Hannibal exhaled softly, forced himself to wait silently.

Wills eyes searched the floor before he said "I can't ask this of you. I'm sorry, I just simply can't."

"You never asked, I offered, I would prefer it if you could make it tomorrow." Hannibal said softly.

Will licked his lip and nodded, "t-tomorrow?"

"No pressure, come tomorrow if you wish, when you wish." Hannibal smiled gently.

Will nodded, "thank you Dr Lecter." He pulled his coat on, took one last look at the tree, "it's beautiful." He said softly, he smiled and moved towards the door.

"Thank you, have a good evening Will." Hannibal said with a small smile playing on his lips as he let Will out. He sighed and moved straight to the kitchen to begin preparing for two.

Hannibal was woken at 3am by a knock at the door, it was timid but desperate. He was up immediately, in his robe and opening the door to Will. "Good morning." He said with a small smile.

Will was shuffling on his feet, arms hugged in, "I woke up in the middle of the night and I couldn't sleep and I didn't see the point of waiting. I know it's improper but I didn't want to be with no one but my own thoughts any longer."

Hannibal nodded, "I understand, do come in. How would you like to spend the rest of the morning?"

"I can understand you wanting to return to bed, I could just erm- well, I don't mind." Will stammered.

"I have a guest bedroom prepared if you would like to get some sleep."

"you thought I would be staying the night?"

"Always ready to host." Hannibal replied quickly.

"A couple more hours rest might do me some good." He nodded, rubbing his eyes, let himself be led upstairs, past what was clearly the master bedroom with the door slightly ajar, the only thing visible were a deep purple wall and a dark wood chest of drawers. Hannibal led him to an entirely white bedroom, he switched a lamp on dimly and got towels out from a draw under the bed, he put them in the ensuite, "feel free to shower, I can find some clothes that might just about fit you if you haven't got spares, I'll make breakfast for 8 and wake you then if that's alright with you?"

Will watched him, already half asleep, he nodded, "thank you that would be lovely." He took his glasses off.

Hannibal smiled and turned to leave, "Merry Christmas Will." He said softly with a smile as he left.

"Merry Christmas Dr Lecter." Will said as he watched him leave.

\---

Hannibal had tried to wake Will by knocking on the door at 8am but there was no response, he tried again at 10, then 12. Will was dead to the world. He only woke when he could smell dinner being cooked, he pulled clothes back on and dashed downstairs, still pulling his shirt on, he slid into the kitchen and had to grab onto the counter to steady himself. Hannibal was dressed in a red shirt and black suit trousers, an apron around his middle just resting on his hips. He looked up to Will with a smile. "Good afternoon. Well rested?"

"Y-yes, god I'm so sorry" he said quickly, "I haven't slept like that in months." He rubbed his eyes and forehead and laughed hollowly.

"The holidays do perculiar things to us all." Hannibal said as he poured Will a glass of orange juice and set it down in front of him, "I hope after all that you don't require a coffee." He laughed.

"No no, this is perfect, thank you." Will smiled as he sipped, "this is freshly squeezed isn't it?"

"Yes." Hannibal moved back to the hob on the island.

"Of course it is, where do you find time to do all of this? Am I secretly your only patient?"

"I don't drive to Virginia in the middle of the night, tire myself out and sleep all day." He teased. 

Will laughed and finished his juice by which point Hannibal had fresh eggs benedict in front of him. "If I blink, I'd miss you." Will chuckled as he started to eat, "Thank you, god this is delicious."

Hannibal was washing his hands and then started seasoning meat. "My pleasure."

Will practically licked the plate clean before washing it up, drying it and putting it away with Hannibals direction. "Right, what else can I do to help? Lay the table?"

"All done." Hannibal smiled, "you could season the potatoes, the third oil from the left in the cupboard above your head and rosemary, you'll have to cut it fresh from the dining room."

Will nodded and retrieved the oil before doing into the dining room. The table was laid beautifully with elm fronds, Will peered over the table too look at the tiny words carved in the wood in a language he didn't understand. The table was set for three, but one place had a plate with a cluster of candles in it and no cutlery. Wills eyebrows knotted, his tongue between his teeth as he clipped some rosemary. He returned to the kitchen. "Who is the third place for?" He asked, "If I interuptted something just say." He added quietly.

"Oh no, no one will sit there, where I am from, those who should be sat at the table for the meal but have passed and therefore can't have a place set and candles lit. I think people used to believe it was a place for the soul to sit, but I prefer to think of it as more mediative than anything else."

"Ah, right." Will looked down, stopped himself from asking who. Maybe Hannibal had been married, though Alana had never mentioned it. He shook it off and started to prepare the potatoes.He used a slicer that Hannibal had placed beside the oil in Wills absence, though he could have sworn it was supposed to be used for cheese. 

\---

By early evening they were both very full and sitting by the fire. Will had spent dinner mostly in awe, talking to Hannibal in no less a more casual manner than usual and trying to not let his eyes drift to the candles beside him. There had been a different wine every couple of courses as well as brandy in the main. Wills vision was a little blurry around the edges and the buzz in his stomach was pleasant.

"Oh god, I feel like my shirt buttons aren't gunna pop." Will laughed.

Hannibal smiled, "I can get you a jumper if you want, if it'll be more comfortable?"

"Long as it's christmassy." He chuckled.

"Oh, I'll see what I can do." He smirked and got up.

"Thank you!" Will called after him, he relaxed back in the chair.

Hannibal returned with a jumper over his arm and a tray with mulled wine.Wills eyebrows knotted and he bit his lip. "I definitely can't drive, I'd just be making it longer that you're stuck with me."

"I'm not stuck with you at all." Hannibal said softly, "you're my guest, I've told you before you're always welcome." He offered the tray again.

Will paused and took the glass, inhaled gently, "smells amazing," He laughed, "Though, of course, I expected nothing less."

Hannibal smiled, "thank you, your compliments mean a great deal."

"Compliments from some jumped up teacher who eats microwaved food 4 nights a week means something to you?"

"A great deal." He repeated, he looked Will dead in the eye.

Will managed to hold his gaze and return it for far longer than usual, he couldn't tell if it was a genuine desire to look at him or because he was definitely tipsy. His eyes broke and he flicked up to look at the ceiling.

Hannibals gaze followed his, "what are you looking at?" He laughed gently.

"J-just, just checking there's no mistletoe." He said hurriedly.

"Ah, no, I don't have it in the house, I dislike the smell."

"Not the tradition then?"  
"No, I have nothing against it in priniple." Hannibal shook his head and sipped his wine.

After a beat Will sipped his own wine and smiled, "even if it was me sitting with you under hypothetical mistletoe?"

"Are you saying that you have placed hypothetical and entirely odorless mistletoe above us?"

"Me and the wine." Will added with a nod.

Hannibal raised an eyebrow and turned to look at Will.

"Why? don't want to kiss me?"

"No, no, I do." Hannibal said, eyes narrowed, "long as you aren't going to regret it and never speak to me again."

"Promise." Will said softly. 

Hannibal leant on one hand and leaned in, Will met him and kissed him softly.


End file.
